The Water Warriors Hammerhead is one of the mid-sized pistol-class water blasters by Buzz Bee Toys Inc released in 2007. Its general shape and styling are minimalistic though it also includes a side-mounted mechanical pressure gauge to help one keep an eye on available reservoir pressure. However, this particular blaster feels slightly underpowered for its size.
The Blaster ::
Nozzle ::
The Hammerhead's nozzle is capable of producing a decent, smooth stream. However, as the Hammerhead lacks a separate pressure chamber, the force behind the stream comes from its pressurized reservoir and flow through the intake tube. In order to maximize water use, the intake tube extends well into the handle/grip region which is actually also part of the reservoir. This additional length and geometry seems to take a toll on the maximum output of the Hammerhead with stream performance being somewhere between a Super Soaker SS 50 and a Super Soaker XP 70. Even the smaller Water Warriors Stingray is capable of producing a more forceful stream than the Hammerhead.
Pump ::
The pump on the Hammerhead is a standard, forward-mounted pump that works well at drawing in air and pressurizing the reservoir. The pump's grip, however, has a smooth surface and may feel a little slippery if wet.
Triggers / Grip ::
The trigger and grip area have limited space, but since the space-constraining piece of plastic is relatively thin, it can accomodate larger hands without too much re-adjusting of finger positions. The grip, as noted above, is actually part of the reservoir and the grey piece at the base of the grip area is not actually attached. Being made of the same plastic as the reservoir, the grip area does flex during pumping; the grey piece at the bottom actually helps pumping by stopping the grip from bending too far forwards when pumping. The trigger pulls smoothly and, as other Water Warriors blasters, can be pulled to varying degrees.
The Reservoir ::
The Hammerhead's reservoir extends from the handle/grip area and fills the main body region of the blaster. As such, it offers a good capacity for a blaster of this size. Unfortunately, the choice to place the cap at the base of the grip poses two problems. If the cap is not tightly secured, the Hammerhead will release water out of the grip, potentially wasting precious ammo. As well, in order to maximize reservoir capacity use, the intake tube for the nozzle is threaded into the grip area, making the tube rather long. This results in more resistance in flow when firing, resulting in a less potent stream.
Overall ::
As a whole, Water Warriors Hammerhead is a decent, light-weight blaster. Its design maximizes water capacity, but comes at a cost of potential stream power. As such, the Water Warriors Hammerhead would make for a decent back-up blaster, but is not recommended as a primary blaster unless involved only in small-scale water wars.
Pros
Simple design with clean lines. Reservoir capacity good. Pressure gauge a bonus.
Cons
Small stream and low output compared to other similarly sized blasters. Bottom-mounted cap can result in leakage if not tighted properly. Grip feels a little soft/flexible.
70
Nozzle ::
Pump ::
Triggers / Grip ::
The Hammerhead's reservoir extends from the handle/grip area and fills the main body region of the blaster. As such, it offers a good capacity for a blaster of this size. Unfortunately, the choice to place the cap at the base of the grip poses two problems. If the cap is not tightly secured, the Hammerhead will release water out of the grip, potentially wasting precious ammo. As well, in order to maximize reservoir capacity use, the intake tube for the nozzle is threaded into the grip area, making the tube rather long. This results in more resistance in flow when firing, resulting in a less potent stream.
